THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
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144<br />
P. OV1DII <strong>NASO</strong>NIS<br />
Cuique fuit rerum promissa potentia, Tybrin.<br />
Dissilit omne solum ; penetratque in Tartara rimis<br />
Lumen, et infernum terret cum conjuge regem :<br />
Et mare contrahitur; siccaeque est campus arena, 110<br />
Quod mod6 pontus erat; quosque altum texerat aquor,<br />
Exsistunt monies, et sparsas Cycladas augent.<br />
Ima petunt pisces: nee se super ffiquora curvi<br />
Tollere consuetas audent delphines in auras.<br />
Corpora phocarum summo resupina profundo<br />
Exanimata natant: ipsum quoque Nerea fama est<br />
Doridaque, et natas, tepidis latuisse sub antris.<br />
Ter Neptunus aquis cum torvo brachia vultu<br />
Exserere ausus erat; ter ncn tulit aeris aestus.<br />
AJma tamen Tellus, ut erat circumdata ponta,<br />
Inter aquas pelagi, contractosque undique fontes,<br />
Qui se condiderant in opacae viscera matris;<br />
Sustulit cmniferos collo tcnus arida vultus :<br />
Opposuitque manum fronti; magnoque tremore<br />
Omnia concutiens paulum subsedit; et infra<br />
NOT^E.<br />
It rises near the foot of Mount Vesulus,<br />
runs enstwardly about 300 miles, and falls<br />
into the Gulf of Venice.<br />
107. Tybrin. The Tiber, here put by<br />
metonymy for Rome, which stands upon<br />
its banks. It rises in the Apennines, and<br />
running south-west, passes by Rome, and<br />
empties into the Mediterranean about fif<br />
teen miles from that city. '<br />
107. Potentia rerum: the government of<br />
the world.<br />
108. Dissilit: leaps asunder; cracks<br />
open.<br />
Deep to the root<br />
Of vegetation parched, the cleaving fields<br />
And slippery lawn an arid hue disclose.<br />
THOMSON.<br />
108. Tartara. In the ting. Tartarus.<br />
The place of punishment in the infernal<br />
regions.<br />
109. Infernum regem: the infernal king;<br />
viz. Pluto.<br />
109. Cum conjuge : with his wife, Pro<br />
serpine.<br />
112. Existunt: rise up and stand out of<br />
the water.<br />
112. Augent: increase in number.<br />
112. Cycladas. T he Cyclades are a<br />
cluster of islands in the Archipelago, lying<br />
in the form of a circle ; hence their name<br />
from KufXof, a circle.<br />
113. Ima: t he lowest places; the bot<br />
tom. Supply loca.<br />
114. Tollere: to raise; to toss thcm-<br />
eeives.<br />
115. Pfiocarum. Sea-calves, which imi<br />
tate the lowing of oxen.<br />
11C. Nalanl: float.<br />
116. Nerca. The son of Oceanus and<br />
115<br />
120<br />
125<br />
LIBER II.<br />
109. Omne solum<br />
dissilit, Inmenque pe-<br />
nelral in Tartara ri<br />
mis, et tcrrel regem<br />
infernum cum con<br />
juge.<br />
113. Pisces petunt<br />
ima, nee curvi Del-<br />
phmes audent lollere<br />
Be super eequora, in<br />
auras consuelas.<br />
118. Neptuims ler<br />
ausus eral exserere<br />
hrachia aijuis cum<br />
totvo vullu; ler non<br />
tulit ceslus aSris.<br />
124. Opposuilque<br />
manum fronli: concu-<br />
liensque omnia mag-<br />
Terra who married Doris, by whom he had<br />
fifty daughters called Nereides.<br />
117. Dorida. See note on page 128.<br />
119. Exserere: to put forth; to lift up.<br />
120. Alma Tellns: the bountiful Earth;<br />
so called because she feeds and nourishes<br />
all animals.<br />
121. Contractos. Contracted by the<br />
heat, and by their retiring into the recesses<br />
of the earth.<br />
122. Qui se condiderant: who had hid<br />
themselves. They sought refuge from the<br />
intense heat. Distressful Nature pants;<br />
The very streams look languid from afar;<br />
Or, through the unsheltered glade, impatient,<br />
seem<br />
To hurl into the covert of the grove.<br />
. THOMSON.<br />
122. In opaca viscera: in the bowels of<br />
their dark mother.<br />
123. Suttulit: lifted up.<br />
123. Omniferos: all-sustaining. Hence<br />
the earth is called nqifiijnip by the Greeks,<br />
and omuijiarens by the Latins.<br />
Common mother,<br />
Whose womb immeasurable, and infinite breast<br />
Teems and feeds all. WILTON.<br />
All-parent, bounding, whose prolific powers<br />
Produce a store of beauteous fruits and flowers.<br />
OnriiEus.<br />
124. Opposuilque manum: and put her<br />
hand to her brow. The whole description<br />
of the Earth here is a beautiful allegory.<br />
The present attitude in which she is pre<br />
sented is at once pensive and melancholy.<br />
124. Rlugno tremore: with a great trem<br />
bling.<br />
125. Paulum subsedit: settled a liltle ;<br />
stink down a little.<br />
FABULA II. MET AMORP HO SE ON.<br />
Quam' solet esse, fuit: siccaque ita voce locuta est.<br />
Si placet hoc, meruique, quid 6 tua fulmina cessant,<br />
Summe deum ? liceat perituree viribus ignis,<br />
Igne perire tuo; clademque auctore levarc.<br />
Vix equidem fauces haec ipsa in verba resolvo: 13<br />
(Presserat ora vapor;) Tostos en aspice crines !<br />
Inque oculis tantum, tantum super ora favillro.<br />
Hosne mihi fructus ? hunc fertilitatis honorem,<br />
Officiique refers, quod adunci vulnera aratri<br />
Rastrcrumque fero, totoque exerceor anno ? 13<br />
Quod pecori frondes, alimentaque mitia fruges<br />
Humano generi, vobis quftd thura ministro ?<br />
Sed tamen exitium fac me meruisse: quid undse,<br />
Quid meruit frater ? cur illi tradita sorte<br />
^Equora decrescunt, et ab ssthere longius absuut; 140<br />
Quod si nee fratris, nee te mea gratia tangit;<br />
At coeli miserere tui; circumspice utrumque,<br />
Fumat uterque polus ; quos si vitiaverit ignis<br />
Atria vestra ruent. Atlas en ipse laborat!<br />
Vixque suis humeris candentem sustinet axem. 145<br />
Si freta, si terrse pereunt, si regia cosli;<br />
In chaos antiquum confundimur. Eripe flammis<br />
Si quid adhuc superest; et rerum consule summae.<br />
Dixerat hsec Tellus : neque enim tolerare vaporem<br />
Ulterius potuit, nee dicere plura: suumque 150<br />
Rettulit os in se, propioraque manibus antra.<br />
NOTjE.<br />
145<br />
no tremore, subsedit<br />
paulum, et fuii infra<br />
quara solet esse.<br />
I 130. Equidem vn<br />
resolvo fauces in htec<br />
ipsa verba, (vapor<br />
pr-sserat ora) en as<br />
pice crines loslos, fa-<br />
yillceque lamtim sunt<br />
in oculis favilla tan-<br />
lum sunt super >ra.<br />
138. Sed fac inmon<br />
me meruisse exitium:<br />
quid und.c meniert<br />
quid fraler tuits me<br />
ruit ? Cur a'quora ira-<br />
dita illi sorte, decrcj-<br />
cuiil.<br />
149. Tellus dixera<br />
hcec; neque enim po<br />
tuit ullerius tolerara<br />
vaporem, nee dicere<br />
plura, reltulitquc, BU-<br />
126. SIccS voce: with dry, husky voice. 139. Quid meruit frater t what has my<br />
128. Summe Deum : sovereign of tli brother (Neptune) merited?<br />
gods; viz. Jupiter.<br />
139. Tradita sorte: given him by lot,<br />
128. Liceat •peritura: may I, who am when the world was divided.<br />
about to perish by the strength of fire, 140. Longius absunt: are farther re<br />
perish by thy fire, viz. the thunderbolt moved.<br />
Supply m ihi after liceat.<br />
141. Te langit: moves you; affects you.<br />
129. Clademque auctore: and lighten my 143. Fumat uteryue: each pole is smoking.<br />
destruction by the author. It would be a<br />
143. Quos si vitiaverit: which if the fire<br />
mitigation of her destruction to perish by uliall destroy.<br />
god, and not by a boy.<br />
If the foundations be destroyed what can the<br />
130. Vix resolvo: scarcely do (can) t righteous do. PSALM xi. a<br />
open my mouth. The indicative is used 144. Atria vestra : your palaces will fall.<br />
here with the force of the potential mood. 144. Atlas. A high mountain of Mau<br />
131. Tostos crinei: my scorched hair. ritania, which is feigned to support the Hea<br />
The earth refers to the foliage of the trees, vens, because it is lost in the clouds. Atlas,<br />
which may be regarded as her hair. See<br />
note on page 100.<br />
the king of Mauritania, was said to be<br />
changedinto that mountain. The introduc<br />
134. Hosne fructus : these fruits; these<br />
rewards.<br />
tion of Atlas here is an anachronism, for his<br />
transformation does not take place fora long<br />
134. Aratri, raslrornmijue. The differ time afterwards, as recorded in Lib. IV.<br />
ent implements of husbandry.<br />
145. Candentem axem: the burning<br />
136. Quod pecori. The Earth here axle; the burning Heavens; a part for the<br />
makes a strong appeal, in that she sup whole, by synecdoche.<br />
plied necessaries for animals, men, and<br />
gods.<br />
145. Freta: the straits; put for the sen,<br />
by synecdoche.<br />
137. Thura: frankincense, to be used 146. Kerum summce : for the whole of<br />
in sacrifices to the gods.<br />
things; for the universe.<br />
138. Foe me meruisse : suppose me to 149. Vaporem: the heat.<br />
have deserved.<br />
151. Bettulit os: withdrew her head.<br />
19<br />
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